According to the New York Times it appears more employers are slowly starting to offer pet health insurance for their employees. It sounds like a great idea except there are a few things to consider before signing up. https://nyti.ms/2rSZ6Lq
If you go to your veterinarian office, they may offer their own internal Wellness Plan, which is for preventative care only. Most of those plans include annual shots, dental cleanings and x-rays, and they may offer a small discount for visits for sickness or injury.
Unfortunately for the pet parents of seniors, such as myself with my 15-year old Chihuahua; I had to ask if that type of plan would be beneficial for us. Recently Mia had some tumors removed, and my veterinarian told me she would not survive another procedure under anesthesia. A Wellness Plan for Mia would not make sense financially because she will never again be able to have a dental cleaning.
Dental cleanings are now performed by a veterinarian and under anesthesia. In 2012, under California Assembly Bill 2304, the California Veterinary Medical Board decided anesthesia free dental cleanings are more dangerous than cleanings under anesthesia. It is now illegal for anesthesia free cleanings to be offered. http://www.10news.com/news/10news-examines-anesthesia-free-pet-dental-care
Then there is the second option of purchasing Insurance for injury and disease, and that does not include preventative care. Given Mia’s age, she does not qualify for Insurance because she is a senior.
Over all these new plans are very cookie cutter-ish, and do not take an individual animal’s health into account.
As a person who does not care to hand over my hard earned money to an insurance carrier, I would definitely recommend discussing with your veterinarian about what would be the best option for your pets. In the case of Mia, we’ll be paying cash for her medical care.
If your employer offered pet insurance, would you sign up? We would love to hear your thoughts.